DoD

Think before sending: Protecting PII

Leslie Finstein 502nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas — Network security is more than just a buzzword. It is an important tool used to secure not just information related to national security but also personal security. The Air Force, Army and the entire Department of Defense take information assurance and the protection of personal information seriously.

As of October 2013, individuals who inappropriately store and transmit personally identifiable information over the Air Force network will have their accounts locked in response to the violation.

“We are taking several steps to improve notification and reporting of PII incidents,” said Gen. William L. Shelton, Air Force Space Command commander. “My intent is to increase awareness within the Air Force as part of my responsibility to ensure the security and defense of the AFNET and its users. PII violations create both

personal and operational risks for all of us.”

Air Force Space Command is the major command responsible for Air Force space and cyber operations. Cyber operations are organized under 24th Air Force, headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland.

PII is any information about an individual that can be used directly, or in connection with other data, to identify, contact or locate that person and can include such information as: full name, address, Social Security number, medical, educational, financial, legal and employment records.

This information can come in any form such as hard copy or electronic records stored within data bases or accessible from applications on computers, laptops and electronic devices (government or private) such as Blackberries, smartphones’, etc.

The 68th Network Warfare Squadron and 352nd Network Warfare Squadron on JBSA-Lackland, as the Cyberspace Defense Analysis Weapon System, actively monitors the AFNET for PII breaches and violations. When a PII breach is identified, it is reported to the 624th Operations Center, also on JBSA-Lackland, and the formal reporting process is initiated.

The 624th OC, as the Cyber Command and Control Mission System Weapon System, then reports the AFNET PII breach to the 24th Air Force commander, which will result in locking the violator’s AFNET account and notification to the individual’s wing commander.

“Beginning Oct. 24, [2013] we began locking out the AFNET account of individuals who were found to be inappropriately transmitting PII data via the AFNET,” explained Maj. Gen. J. Kevin McLaughlin, 24th Air Force and Air Force Cyber commander. “A violator’s account will only be unlocked once the fi rst O-6 in their chain of command certifies that the individual has accomplished all necessary actions, to include remedial training.”

These new actions are in addition to, and do not circumvent or replace, the normal Privacy Act notification process which is already in place throughout the Air Force. Air Force Instruction 33-332 governs the PII breach reporting process as well as the consequences for PII violations.

A PII breach is defined as a loss of control, compromise, unauthorized disclosure, unauthorized acquisition, unauthorized access or any similar term referring to situations where persons other than authorized users, and for an other than authorized purpose, have access or potential access to PII, whether physical or electronic.

For those on the AFNET, JBSA follows the Air Force protocols for PII breaches, requiring individuals who lose network access as the result of a breach to receive authorization from a colonel in their chain of command to reactivate their account and to contact their local information assurance office and customer or client support technician, said Karen Frey, JBSA Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act officer.

For JBSA personnel operating on the Army network, an individual’s unit leadership determines whether their user account is disabled based on the initial assessment of the U.S. Army Signal Network Enterprise Center, said Jesus Rosa Velez, NEC director for JBSA.

Further punitive actions against individuals responsible for a breach, Rosa Velez continued, are based on the finalized report and seriousness of the incident.

The majority of PII breaches are directly the result of human error either by the individual directly or by second or third parties, said Rosa Velez.

Since his arrival at JBSA in May 2012, Rosa Velez knows of two reported official incidents on the Army network here.

There was a unit that failed to set proper permissions on folder access on a storage drive which could have potentially compromised PII data saved in those folders.

An individual on the Army network here also once accidentally forwarded a series of unencrypted emails containing social security numbers to unit distribution list email address.

Rosa Velez stressed that just because these are the only two he knows of that does not mean other incidents have not occurred. Other units may not have reported incidents to the NEC which is in violation of PII policy.

Units must report all suspected breaches.

“The loss of PII can erode confidence in the ability to protect information, impact business practices and can lead to major legal action,” Rosa Velez said.

Frey recommends personnel kicked off the network for PII violations complete the online training course, the ‘Cyber Awareness Challenge.’ It is an annual requirement for all federal, Department of Defense and intelligence community personnel.

According to the Information Assurance Education, Training and Awareness online training catalog, the ‘Cyber Awareness Challenge’ course is a serious game that simulates key decision points that employees make every day in the course of their duties that could either protect or compromise PII.

If you see a PII breach, immediately notify your chain of command or organization privacy act manager/monitor. Commanders, managers, supervisors should ensure that everyone within their units are familiar with “personally identifiable information incident reporting and notification procedures.”

“The report of PII incidents involving actual or suspected breaches/compromises should be reported immediately; preferably within one hour of discovery,” said Rosa Velez.

“Accountability is the word of the day,” Shanahan said. “I expect everyone in the enterprise to be accountable for protecting PII. We need maximum emphasis on this because the downsides of a breach are obvious.”

Adapted from articles by Major Brooke Brander, Air Force Space Command Public Affairs and Wayne Amann, Air Force Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency Public Affairs

Local Military Discounts

Pentagon Channel

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance tax center opened its doors today for Active Duty, National Guard, Reserve and Public Health personnel. There are 35 volunteers at the VITA office to include 27 tax preparers with the ability to conduct 10 appointments at a time. “The volunteers here are IRS certified tax preparers,” according to Skip...

COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. (AFNS) — Black History Month, or National African American History Month, is an annual celebration of achievements by black Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of African Americans in U.S. history. The event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted Harvard-trained historian Carter Woodson....

Scholarship applications available Davis-Monthan Officer’s Spouses’ Club and the Enlisted Spouses Association are accepting scholarship applications from Military Dependents who are: -Spouses pursuing an Undergraduate or graduate degree -Graduating High School Seniors Application packets are available at: Davis-Monthan Thrift Shop, Airman and Family Readiness Center, School Liaison Office...

An aircraft crash training exercise was held at the Combat Arms Training and Maintenance range here Feb. 19. The simulated crash site was scattered throughout a two mile radius. “The idea was to test the base’s capabilities...

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO – RANDOLPH, TEXAS — Confucius once said that in order for a man to move a mountain he must first begin by carrying away its small stones. Now, if one is to imagine the Air Force as that giant mountain, how does an Airman begin trying to move it? That is,...

Information

Publisher

Desert Lightning News is published by Aerotech News and Review, a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air Force, under written agreement with the 355th Fighter Wing. Aerotech News and Review prepares all editorial content for Desert Lightning News. Submissions may be edited to conform to the AP Style Guide, local policy and Air Force style as required by Air Force Instruction 35-101.

Disclaimer

The appearance of advertising in this publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the DoD, the Department of the Air Force or Aerotech News and Review, of the products or services advertised.Contents of Desert Lightning News are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, DoD or the Department of the Air Force.